The Squared Root - FG Squared's Blog

Some of the hottest topics of the business world these days are centered on social media. One of the main issues is around Facebook as a business networking tool.

To really begin this discussion, let’s look at business in general. One of the key elements in growing your business is increasing sales. Coming from a sales background, I have attended many different sales classes and seminars and they have all said the same thing. Building strong relationships closes sales and increases profitability.

We were taught to look around a prospect’s office and find a nick-knack, a photograph, a trophy; anything that would give us a glimpse into their personal life. Maybe you see a picture of a sailboat on their wall, so you ask them how long they have been a sailor and to what destinations have they sailed. Immediately a conversation has begun.

Finding these little connections helps sales people build a small trust between them and the prospect. Applications like Facebook, can help you accomplish this before you even walk in your potential client’s door. You can see that they have two kids and that they love the Red Sox. You have a glimpse into their personal life before you even meet them.

Basically, if you are in business, you have been “social networking” your entire career. You just haven’t been able to network on this large of a scale. According to Facebook, there are more than 70 million users with more than half of them college graduates. In fact, the 25 years and older demographic is the largest growing group on Facebook today. That’s a whole lot of business prospects to get to know.

Now that I am serious about meeting up with the rest of the world, my friend Cynthia Baker has asked me to draft a real professional biography that would be useful for securing presentation slots at target rich business conferences. Upon drafting the biography, I immediately reviewed at http://www.tagcrowd.com/ and here is the result.

It's amazing how well tag clouds center in on your thinking process! Thank you www.tagcrowd.com.

Here is my current biography to be recorded in Internet history forever. Please trust this only represents my life until now. But afterall now is gone.

Kindest Regards.

Steve Golab began his career as a pioneer of interactive communications while still an undergraduate in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Golab piloted the university's College of Engineering Multimedia Lab, developing interactive educational materials while demonstrating the powerful impact of multimedia and the Internet on learning complex technical subject matter.

In 1994, during the early adoption of HTML 1.0, Golab co-founded FG SQUARED (www.fg2.com). Launched as a technology consulting business, the Austin-based firm soon evolved into a multimedia design agency focused on digital video, 3D animation, motion graphics, information management, and systems.

Golab's engineering background brought the firm its initial success as a high-tech consultancy. His talent for understanding what really happens inside technology and visually communicating complex subject matter is core business at FG SQUARED.

From business visionary to organizational thinker and from strategy leader to relationship builder, Steve's role in the agency he helped create is wide-ranging. A typical day finds Steve moving from addressing high-level client needs to consulting with team members in planning and execution of world-class interactive strategies.

Steve focuses on longevity, leadership, and the building of profitable relationships. However, it is Golab's strong entrepreneurial spirit, diverse business management skills and his passion for achieving total client satisfaction that have enabled FG SQUARED to consistently remain an industry leader. Today, FG SQUARED has evolved into a full-service, interactive agency that applies interactive technologies and expertise in marketing to help clients achieve a faster track to profitability.

Since 2003, FG SQUARED has achieved upwards of 35 percent compounded average annual growth. The agency's core capabilities span the spectrum from strategic planning and digital branding to interactive media production and social media solutions for Fortune 500 clients such as Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NYSE:AMD), Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Premier Global Services (NYSE:PGI), Canon (NYSE: CAJ), and Texas Association of Community Health Centers.

Building long-term relationships with clients in diverse fields including energy, technology, healthcare, entertainment, and mobile communications, FG SQUARED has earned more than 100 interactive media awards including the New York Festivals, Business Week MC Icon, WorldFest International Film, and Telly Awards. FG SQUARED is also a past recipient of the New Media 500, honoring it as one of the world's most influential interactive agencies.